“One thing is clear: The Founding Fathers never intended a nation where citizens pay nearly half of everything they earn to the government.” – Ron Paul

As a political junkie, I was trying to restrain myself from posting this blog, but I have given in.

I would like to recommend to anyone who sees this blog post to research presidential primary candidate Ron Paul.

Ron Paul is loosley determined as a Republican/Libertarian. In actuality is he a Constitutionalist, who believes in limiting the government rather than the citizen.

I have met with Congressman Ron Paul twice, and have found him to be a truly honest and dedicated man.

So Do You Want to Know About a Presidential Candidate Who:
- Never voted to raise taxes
- Never voted for an unbalanced budget
- Never voted to raise congressional pay
- Voted against the Iraq war
- Voted against the Patriot Act
- Voted against every bill contrary to or prohibited by the U.S. Constitution
In addition:
- he has never taken a government paid junket
- he is not accepting a government pension
- he returns a portion of the office budget every year
- he is Washington’s leading advocate for civil rights, liberty & freedom
- he was voted Taxpayer’s Best Friend
- he is Pro-Life, Pro-Liberty, & Pro-Family
- in over 40 years as congressman, he has the most consistent voting record among all members of Congress
And most importantly, he is a proven, dependable conservative who is for a smaller federal government, less spending, less taxes, & more freedom and privacy for the individual.

There has always been the age old question of whether art reflects reality or reality creates art.

In a recent project of mine, I explored various artists’ interpretations of future technology. I was curious to see if the future projected through the art was a byproduct of our pre-existing societal influence, or rather a prototype by which we may soon follow.

To do this, I searched the internet for images that claimed to present a future technology, and compared societal influences with them.

To see the images, as well as some of my notes, visit my Flickr account slide show, Art of Innovation.

If you have found similar photos, or have interpretations of your own, please comment. I would love to hear your feedback.

And remember: Just because an artist predicts something about the future, doesn’t necessarily mean its going to happen…

John Diffenderfer recently wrote a new post in is blog Technovation, discussing the effects of CGI on the film industry.

In his article, John writes:

Nearly every aspect of film production and distribution has been enhanced or altered through computer technology. Modern films, while appearing to bear many of the hallmarks of traditional cinematography, have become increasingly divorced from the craft of early filmmakers.

I agree that CGI has changed the face of film development, mostly in a positive way. Even though effects are now animated, the overall picture quality now presented is more real to life than in the past.

However, I do not believe in the fear that CGI will ruin the careers of Hollywood actors. It is true developers have the technology to create an entire cast from scratch, but it is not likely to happen.

This is due to the fact that most people grow attachments to certain actors and actresses, creating the driving force behind watching a movie.

In truth, acting is an art form that I do not believe artificial intelligence will ever be able to pull off realistically.

And remember: It is not probable for a computer simulation or a robot to accurately portray a true person’s personality…

Clean your cookies. Retailers base a lot of their online promotions and price points on shoppers’ habits. So, it’s not uncommon for shoppers to notice price fluctuations after repeated purchases on the same site. Prices typically drop for these power shoppers as an incentive, but there have been documented occurrences of increases, too. You can check to see if this is happening to you by logging out from the retail site, clearing your browser’s cookies, and then revisiting the product page. If you find a lower price, buy it — re-registering with a new customer account if necessary.

Environmental action day spurred a surplus of blog posts about eco-friendly hobbies, activities, and products. All in all, the event was successful at highlighting the importance of an eco-revolution. Interestingly though, Apple happened to be one of the most frequently mentioned environmental products on the market.

Now that the hype is over and those bloggers who were not so truly concerned with the environment on a day to day basis return to their work as usual, I would like to point out a bit of their ignorance.

That is, Apple right now is in the midst of one of the greatest environmental controversies in the news.

Recently, Greenpeace has called out the company who so proudly claims its products as “green” for their latest hit, the iPhone.

Apparently they discovered it is filled with toxic chemicals. Imagine that.

It seems Gateway’s “the One” has hopes of slighting some of Apple’s incredible revenue. I believe Apple, who seems to be flowing out the ears with cash, might deserve such a wake up call.

Lets face it, Apple boasts little more than a sleek design, and yet somehow has managed to turn consumers into devotees. Its a product, not a religion.

So here we are with the new One by Gateway. A similar design is one thing, but how else does it compare with the Mac?

The Power of One (information on the core of the computer) and the Beauty of One (the design philosophy) once broken down can compete with that of about a 20″ iMac. In fact the iMac comes out cheaper.

But before all you Mac-ies throw your hands up in victory, realize Gateway’s got one leg up on you. True to a PC, the guts of the One’s system are accessible. The back panel can be removed, providing a totally customizable computer. With this feature, there is no danger of purchasing a product that will simply be outdated in less than 3 months. As well you won’t be harassed with constant infrastructure updates like the Apple products demand.

For those who actually understand how to use a computer, the PC is the better way to go. For you, the One will provide everything you desire and nothing more. (How many people seriously use Garage Band?)

Beauty is skin deep no longer. Finally the bonuses of both worlds together! Apple is constantly on the platform of diversity while they continually streamline and cookie-cut everything. Where are the options? Now with One you have complete control, along with the looks of the Mac.

And Remember: Beauty + Brains = It is possible …

…or is it?

Note: In other recent blogs about the One, many readers have left angry comments defending the Mac. I wonder why this is… why people would be in such an uproar over a useful new product. Why has merchandise become so personal?

I’ll admit I am an impulse buyer. In fact, my favorite part about shopping is the checkout lines which are filled with items that I didn’t think to pick up before, and yet now I can’t live without. So needless to say, I am not a coupon clipper.

However, I am not one to turn away a good deal either. I mean, if I see a discount that might be useful in the near future I may stick it in my wallet for safe keeping. The only problem is that I usually forget to actually use the coupon when I purchase the item.

Thus a website has swooped into the internet world to save my poor soul (or at least my poor wallet).

To use it, simply type in the url of the merchant’s website to search for available coupons on the site. Immediately (well, depending on your internet speed) dozens of discount codes will be available at the click of a mouse. Just select the code that is relevant to your your purchase and receive deals on all of your necessities.

But wait, there’s more!

Users can report on posted discounts and review their success rates with the product, thus ensuring a true value and not an advertising scam.

The website is designed for quick in and out access, not to trap you into gimmicks and confusing promotions.

Mozilla Firefox and other adopters are available for the service. A Firefox believer, I installed the extension which allows a pop-up at the top of my screen to inform me of discounts associated with the merchant’s page I am viewing.

Over 35,000 coupons are available on the site at this moment, and they are vastly expanding.